moonslav59

I'm not pretending. He was not every bit as special. IMO, it was not even close. The guy could hit- no doubt. His defense was over-rated. I was happy we traded him. I even told my friends and family that the trade for OCab was "going to win us a ring." I will not be happy, if we trade Betts.

We also knew he had an injury (that he likely lied about its origin) and was a pouting during a pennant race.

Agreed. I'm not saying I need another ring in the next 4-8 years to be happy, and I certainly enjoy watching us compete much more than sucking, but ultimately I'm fine with having a few down years as long as there's a ring among the painful seasons. I'd rather have these 16 years, which included several last place finishes, than placing 16 seasons in a row like the best 16 seasons before Henry (from 1970-2001): 1970 (87 wins, 3rd place- no playoffs) 1972 (finished 1/2 GB Detroit & missed the playoffs) 1973 (89 wins finished 8 GB) 1975 (95 wins, 1st, Lost in gm 7 of WS after winning 95 games) 1977 (97 wins and 2.5 GB playoffs) 1978 (99 wins- 2nd, Bucky f***ing Dent) 1979 (91 wins- 3rd place & no playoffs) 1982 (89 wins- 3rd place & no playoffs) 1984 (86 wins- 4th place & no playoffs) 1986 (95 wins 1st, lost WS in 7 games) 1988 (89 wins 1st, lost ALCS 4-0) 1990 (88 wins 1st, lost ALCS 4-0) 1995 (86 wins 1st, lost LDS 3-0) 1998 (92 wins 2nd, lost LDS 3-1) 1999 (94 wins 2nd, lost ALCS 4-1) 2000 (85 wins- 2nd place, no playoffs) I'll take 2004 to 2019 over the best 16 years of my being a Sox fan since 1970. Those were some exciting seasons and great memories, but the heartbreaks and "oh-so-close" seasons tilt the balance, in my opinion, to the last 16 year period- last place finishes and all.

I feel the same, but I sure like the rings a lot more than close/almost seasons.

Dave Stapleton

Nomar is to Mookie as Mia Hamm is to Ronaldo.

To me, the test results are bigger news than the JD opt out- opt in choice.

I'd love to see us win every year, even if we only win a ring every now and then, but IMO, I'd rather see a championship surrounded by 3 last place finishes than 4 -90 win seasons with no WS wins or appearances (or maybe just one appearance).

I'm not even sure He knows.

Is Swiharts Ghost?

It's not the normal time for GMs to be making deals. Relax. It's a long winter.

LoL

My guess is, if we reset and look to re-sign (after trading) or keep Betts in 2021 and beyond, we will likely go over the tax line in 2021 by a lot, and maybe over for several years afterwards. It makes a pretty big difference in how much that tax would be in 2021 after a reset or at 50%+ for being over for 3+ years, especially if we end up being over by the amount of Betts's contract or more. 20% of $34M is $6.8M. 50% is $17M. The difference is over $10M, which could sign a very decent FA or 2 pretty good ones.

I expected this answer. BTW, Manny was tested time and time again while with Boston. He never tested positive during those 7 years. We don't know, for sure, what Papi's test results were, or what he tested positive for. We know the Yankees cheated.

It might also be as simple as this: Henry knew DD's M.O. and knew he'd trade the farm away for a window to win a ring or two, but he expected the window to be open longer than it was (not unreasonable given the budget in 2019). Now, he looks at the situation and sees DD is not the guy for the step needed to open the next window. Changing plans is part of being a great owner or company manager. Knowing when to do it is tricky and very important.

Trading for one year of Betts during the off season also will give the receiving team a comp pick after 2020. Some teams might view the one year at $30Mmore favorably than if Betts had a $30M x 5 yeara deal. I'm not buying into the idea that we'll get crap for Betts via a trade. For the same reason most here want us to keep Betts, other GMs would love to have him. A one year deal is less risky. The comp pick is coveted by many GMs. Several teams are looking at making one big step towards being a top contender in 2020. With parity the way it is, adding Betts could make several teams an instant, major contender.

Maybe he's the best at deciding which choice is best and then doing it.

One year of the same as 2019 is not worth getting nothing for Betts. Now, maybe I'm wrong about our chances in 2020, but I'm leaning towards looking more at 2021 and beyond than just 2020 and being left with less afterwards.

He may not have expected the total emptying of the farm, but yes, he knew DD's M.O.

It's usually less of a team disadvantage to have a big, slow player play 1B rather than OF, but that doesn't mean it's easier. (Is it easier for a fast and short player?) It also depends on the player you are talking about. If a player has played OF his whole life, one would think OF is easier and safer than 1B. How much of a defensive liability the player might be in comparison at each position also plays into the choice, but with JD, I think risk of injury might be the top factor in the choice.

Some winter farm notes from soxprospects.com: 2017 first-round pick Tanner Houck (pictured) got the start in Wednesday's Super Round matchup with Australia. The righty allowed two runs on just two hits in his five innings of work, striking out five, walking two, and throwing 46 of 72 pitches (63.9%) for strikes. Unfortunately, that was all the support the Australian staff needed, holding the USA lineup to a single run and saddling Houck with the tough-luck loss. Noah Song was outstanding, going unscored upon in 3 1/3 hitless innings across three appearances. Song struck out three and walked one, with a particularly dominant effort coming in Friday's win over Taiwan. video: At the plate, CJ Chatham started all five games, going 5 for 17 with a double and two walks. Chatham played almost exclusively second base, save for two innings in left field in Monday's contest. Bobby Dalbec also started each game, twice getting the call at first base and serving as the designated hitter in the other three. He was 3 for 17 on the week with a double, three walks, and seven strikeouts. Marco Hernandez saw his first action of the winter for Licey. The infielder homered as part of a 5 for 19 week, driving in a pair of runs. All five of Hernandez's starts came at second base.

Maybe he meant by throwing in Erod to the trade. That might create a market.

I doubt any GM can create a market where one does not exist, but I think a few teams would like to have JD already. It might just be about needing money with the deal or us not getting much back in return, except salary relief and the ability to sign a few bargain FAs with the money saved.

MLBTR suggests a possible trade: Betts to CWS for 2B prospect (#40 on MLB Pipeline) Nick Madrigal. If we did that, why not trade Price for Wil Myers & a prospect and Eovalid & JD for ML ready prospects. Maybe then, we'd have the funds to re-sign Betts and a few moderate free agents and a nice core of young players to make them want to play in Boston. Note: I am not saying I want to trade Betts and others. I'm just putting this out there as a long shot option.

We'll know within a year or two some of the effects of nearly emptying the farm. The debate will likely never end, and will be revived every time one of the young guys we trade has a great season (or more). Again,I was fine with what DD did since we won a ring, but I knew the price we'd have to pay would be painful at some point.